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ON-CAMPUS HOUSING
January/February 2018 StudentHousingBusiness.com
72
longer time frame. This leads us
to consider future flexibility and
efficient use of space. In an effort
to engage more with universities,
the provision of space for normal
university functions to be conduct-
ed also provides an opportunity to
take the cost burden off the uni-
versities and bring these services
into the housing space. Our recent
partnership with Amazon to pro-
vide all CLV properties with Ama-
zon Hubs, an automated package
service allowing delivery from
all retailers and courier services
including the USPS, is an example
of how we are attempting to add
practical technological solutions to
reduce the use of our existing space
in unproductive ways."
"Deferred maintenance and mod-
ernization has become more of a
hot button topic across all college
and university facilities in recent
years," says Jay Pearlman, senior
vice president of advisory services
at The Scion Group. "Especially as
it pertains to P3 projects, institu-
tions are paying more attention
to the longevity of construction,
planned maintenance and capital
improvements over the life of the
project. Also with the high cost of
adaptive reuse, the ability to more
easily adapt a building to changing
demographic trends and preferenc-
es is increasingly important."
At Texas A&M, the university is
transitioning away from institu-
tional type designs with a 75-plus
year structure to buildings with
a shorter lifespan with similar
quality.
"The likelihood is that many of
these facilities will be repurposed
prior to 75 years down the road,"
says Phillip Ray, vice chancellor
for business affairs at Texas A&M
University. "We feel this strategy
will enable us to better accommo-
date the changing demands of our
students over time. We are con-
tinuing to prioritize quality of con-
struction, energy efficiency, living-
learning space design parameters,
future expansion and flexibility of
the built environment, maintenance
and operational aspects of the facil-
ities to help control annual budget
drivers in the future, and appropri-
ate reserve funds to ensure timely
refreshes of the facilities."
Development Trends
A shift towards focusing on ame-
nity spaces that foster academic
success is another big change in the
design and delivery of on-campus
housing today.
"Aside from being more cost sen-
sitive, the newer generation of col-
lege student is entrepreneurial and
focused on academic success," says
Archibald of CLV. "They value time
working with peers, but also their
January is the coldest month in Marquette, Michi-
gan, home to Northern Michigan University (NMU).
The average monthly high temperatures are 25
degrees. But during the second week of January,
when EdR moved approximately 400 students into
NMU's brand new on-campus housing, tempera-
tures fluctuated between 5, 9 and 34 degrees with
subzero wind chills, not to mention the two to three
feet of snow that was already on the ground.
A mid-year winter move-in like this is unusual for
EdR, but the university needed to open its new hous-
ing as soon as possible to welcome new and transfer
students.
The opening debuted four new buildings and com-
pletes the second of three phases of a $79 million
housing replacement project at the Upper Penin-
sula university. Phase one, which opened in August,
included 417 beds.
When the third and final phase wraps up in August
2018, EdR will have delivered 1,229 new beds, which
will account for 50 percent of NMU's on-campus
housing. The project also includes 3,000 square feet
of university space and 1,200 square feet of classroom
space.
The new housing district, which is intended to
enhance the first- and second-year student experi-
ence, will be known collectively as The Woods. NMU
currently enrolls approximately 9,300 students, who
are required to live on campus for their first two
years.
To turn around the development project quickly
and efficiently during the frigid months, EdR hired
a construction consultant with local market expertise
along with additional temporary staffing to ensure
construction punch lists were completed, and stu-
dents received essential communications and guid-
ance to expedite the moves. As a special treat for
students, EdR even hired movers for those students
who were moving out of the older residence halls
into the new buildings. When students returned to
campus after the holiday break, all their belongings
were waiting for them.
The project architect is Neumann Smith and the
contractor is Walbridge Construction.
The development process happened transparently
and in sync with other campus departments, stu-
dents and visitors. To promote the project and keep
everyone in the loop at all times, EdR provided
"dusty boot tours" of model units in the new build-
ings as they were being constructed.
EdR also worked alongside NMU's residence life
department to make sure students knew what to
bring and what not to bring to move-in. An onsite
kiosk helped provide marketing materials, 3-D ren-
derings and floor plans, all of which were intended
to give students the clearest picture of what the new
housing would look like.
The tours and kiosks came in handy during the
university's Wildcat Weekends, which are open
house events for prospective students to visit and
learn more about life on campus. According to EdR
Regional Director Bryan Shelangoski, the dusty boot
tours even helped market the potential of public-
private partnerships to other universities.
NMU looked to EdR to transform the student
experience on campus. To accomplish this, EdR used
its own equity as part of the ONE Plan to develop
the buildings; it will manage and own the buildings
on land leased from the university for 75 years. The
six new buildings are connected through a quarter-
mile hallway capped by a communal gathering space
called The Lodge. All the buildings are adjacent to
the academic mall area of campus.
"This housing will totally transform the campus
for first and second year living," Shelangoski says.
"The university is putting students first. That's the
reason they've done this. They know that in order to
meet students' needs, they have to offer even more
solid, desirable housing." — Lynn Peisner
EDR AND NMU STUDENTS BRAVE THE
ELEMENTS DURING MID-YEAR MOVE-IN
EdR has opened the second of three phases of
development on the campus of Northern Michigan
University. The project will deliver 1,229 new beds,
which will comprise half the university's
on-campus housing.
PHILLIP RAY
Vice Chancellor for
Business Affairs,
Texas A&M University